Hearts Of The Light and Dark
by BlackjackandSky
Summary: A smile graced Jack's lips as he realized Sky must be dreaming about him. Not wanting to invade her privacy, but not being able to resist, he peeked into her thoughts. What he found both surprised and delighted. She was re-living their first kiss...


**Hello Blue Blood Fans!! Thanks for taking the time to stop by and check out my Jack and Sky story!!**

**This oneshot is set after Masquerade, and has no real meaning other than for my entertainment, and hopefully yours as well. I'm also looking for a better title, so if you've got any suggestions, feel free to let me know!!**

**Reviews are LOve!!**

* * *

**"Hearts of the Light and Dark"**

Jack Force quickly bounded up the stairs of the townhouse to avoid getting soaked by the rain that was falling overhead, opening the door with his keys and shutting it quietly behind him. Taking off his coat, he shook it out before hanging it up to dry.

He toed off his shoes, letting out a sigh of pleasure to have them off, before finally looking around.

All the lights were out, indicating that everyone had already gone to bed.

The clock on the wall read 2:45 a.m.

Jack had been downtown with some of his buddies from the lacrosse team, getting drinks at an upscale nightclub.

While he hadn' t really wanted to go, he'd needed to see one of his familiars, and after taking care of that, he'd simply stayed, sitting in a booth in the corner as he watched his friends feel girls up on the dance floor.

Hard to believe that once upon a time he'd _been _one of those guys, and now... Now, he simply didn't want any part of it.

Lately, it had felt wrong just to simply _flirt _with someone else.

And Jack had a feeling he knew the answer as to why.

Schuyler Van Alen was closer than ever now since she'd moved into the Force household, and she constantly invaded his thoughts.

His mind was constantly thinking of everything from the first time he'd met her, to their first kiss, to having to push her away for both their sakes'.

And every scene that passed through his thoughts of her only served to torment him.

When he'd been at the nightclub, he'd found himself marveling at how attached he'd become to Schuyler in the time they had spent together, which admittedly, wasn't much.

And yes, that was the exact word for it: _attached_.

Worse still, she was now only one floor away since moving in with his family.

Close enough for him to touch, yet an ocean length laying between them.

And that exact thought had been plaguing him as he'd left his friends at the nightclub without so much as an explanation, and came home to the Force townhouse.

Which lead to now, where Jack was simply standing around in the foyer like an idiot.

He let out a frustrated sigh and turned to stalk towards the kitchen, hoping to find a midnight snack that he could take up with him to his room...

And instead found himself passing the kitchen altogether and going up the stairs to the second floor landing where he stopped, his eyes coming to rest on Schuyler's door.

_Was she sleeping peacefully??_

The thought bounced around in his head, and before he could stop himself, his feet carried him towards her door.

He was barely even aware of his actions as he opened it.

Just sticking his head in, his eyes came to rest on the beautiful figure sprawled across the bed, her raven colored hair spilling across one of the many pillows. Her covers were every which way, allowing him to see that she wore pink and black pajama bottoms and a simple white tank top.

She looked peaceful in sleep, her breathing deep and even.

The sight made him stop for several moments, and he found himself matching his breathing to hers...

_Fuck_.

He was doing it again.

Angry with himself for being mesmerized by her sleeping figure and not being able to leave her alone, Jack was about to shut her door and go to the kitchen when a whisper sounded out of her mouth.

"_Jack_..."

He froze, thinking she had woken and seen him, but relaxed once again when he realized she hadn't.

She was simply sleep talking.

A smile graced his lips as he realized she must be dreaming about him.

Not wanting to invade her privacy, but not being able to resist, he peeked into her thoughts. What he found both surprised and delighted him.

She was re-living their first kiss.

Seeing the experience from her point of view was intoxicating, and he stayed inside her mind until their scene had run its course.

After it was over and she drifted back into a dreamless state, he gently withdrew from her thoughts.

His smile, however, stayed in place as he slowly crossed to her bedside, brushing her raven colored hair away from her face.

Schuyler's sleeping face upturned into a slight smile as she snuggled deeper into her pillows, which only caused Jack's smile to grow in return.

He didn't allow himself to stay very long in case she awoke or someone else in the house got up, but he tucked her in before crossing back to her door, shutting it as he proceeded downstairs to the kitchen.

He flipped on the light switch by the refrigerator before walking over to it and pulling it open.

Jack rummaged through the contents, looking for anything to help him settle down, but after minutes of searching, he simply gave up and hopped onto the island in the middle of the room. His eyes scanned the space before finally coming to rest on a window, where he could see that the rain outside wasn't letting up, only coming down harder the longer he watched.

He really had made a mess of things with his father, Mimi, and last but not least...Sky.

His father's expectations of him only grew and grew with every passing day, and so did the pressure put on him by Mimi to renew their bond. He knew it was his duty to the Blue Blood society, and the bond was a promise he'd made to Mimi long ago to stay with her forever. It shouldn't be so hard a decision to want to renew it.

But it _was_.

Sure, there were times when he thought that the bond was what he really wanted, and he knew that if he completed it, the drama with his father and Mimi would be over. No more pressure.

But it also meant hurting Schuyler if he chose that path.

He would have to look into her hurt eyes every day afterwards and realize that he was the cause.

Jack knew he couldn't do that to her or himself.

He cared too much for her.

And she had been dreaming about him.

Just as he dreamed about her night after night.

His hands balled up into fists.

How cruel fate was to toy with him in this way. It was practically like putting a starving man in front of a feast and telling him not to touch any of the food.

He didn't know how much longer he could bend and not break from the stress of it all.

Stressed, Jack hopped off the counter and marched once more up the stairs, angrily thinking to make his way back to his room, but as he reached the second floor and was about to go up to the third, the sound coming from behind Schuyler's door stopped him dead in his tracks.

Was that _crying _he heard??

Forgetting all about leaving Schuyler alone and the trouble he would be in if someone saw him, he raced quickly to her room and pushed the door open.

She sat on the bed with her knees up to her chest, tears racing down her face as another sob escaped.

She let out a little gasp as her eyes connected with his, and he could immediately tell that she was surprised to see him.

He couldn't blame her.

Since she'd moved into the Force townhouse, he'd stayed away from her as though she was the plague. It had killed him every second to do so, but the consequences Sky would face from Mimi had made him keep his distance, because they would be far greater for her than they would be for him.

"Jack. Wha-what are you do-doing here," she managed to choke out as she wiped frantically at her eyes, trying to get rid of her tears.

He ignored her question, instead going to the heart of the matter. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

His voice betrayed just how worried he was, and Schuyler tried not to make anything more of it other than friendly concern.

"I-I'm fine. Re-really." She once more wiped at her eyes, clearing her throat as she did. "See? Fine."

A crease appeared between Jack's brows as he came further into the room, shutting the door behind him without even thinking about it. His concern for her was overriding the warnings sounding off in his brain to leave her alone. "Are you sure? You don't _sound _fine."

He carefully made his way over, ignoring the voice in his head screaming for him to turn back around, and sat next to her on the bed, where his hand accidentally brushed hers.

They froze as a pleasant jolt went through both of them from where their skin came into contact, startling Jack and making him withdraw his hand quickly.

As if things weren't awkward enough already.

It was quiet and they quickly looked away from one another, making Jack start to feel vulnerable and question himself. Why the hell hadn't he just been able to leave her alone? _Why?? _Why couldn't he just have kept going to his room?

But he knew the answer.

He'd been worried about her.

"I'm better now," she whispered up to him a few minutes later, after her tears had stopped. Her eyes finally met his once again. "I didn't wake you, did I Jack?"

Relief flooded him, and he gave her a small smile. "Naw. I've was out with some friends and got home not too long ago."

"Oh."

"Yeah..." As he saw her process the information, her eyes fell a little, which caused his heart to do the same.

Dammit.

Shouldn't have said anything about being out, but it was too late to take it back now.

"Did you have fun, then," she asked casually, not really sure if she wanted to know the answer to her question or not.

He wasn't sure how to answer without making his feelings obvious, and chose a roundabout answer. "Ahh... Not really, if I'm being honest."

"Why?" God, why did Schuyler keep putting herself through this? He would simply lie for her benefit, as she knew he _had _to have enjoyed himself at whatever nightclub him and his friends had probably chosen to attend. "You know what? Nevermind. Forget I asked," she tacked on quickly, which only caused him to smile.

"No, it's okay. I just...don't think the...scene, is for me anymore," he replied with a wink, using his fingers to make little air quotes when the word '_scene' _left his mouth.

The fact that he had actually used _air quotes _caused her to laugh.

Jack's heart soared at the sound.

Schuyler couldn't believe that when he'd answered her question, he'd actually sounded as if...he were telling the _truth_.

Maybe he really _wasn't_ lying for her benefit.

Maybe he was simply being honest.

Jack didn't want to move from their easygoing conversation and ruin the light and airy mood, but he had to know what had really caused her to wake up crying, when only less than half an hour ago she'd been smiling in her sleep as he'd left her.

"Sky... What happened? Why the waterworks?"

Schuyler froze, moving her gaze everywhere but at Jack.

Clearly she didn't want to answer.

He nuged her with his shoulder, giving her what encouragement he could. "C'mon, surely the fierce Schuyler Van Alen isn't looking for a cop-out."

She was still silent for a few minutes, but then her blue eyes finally lifted and met his green ones. "I had a nightmare."

Jack felt his heart soften as he stared down at her. "Will it make you feel better to tell me about it?"

"I...don't really know how to explain it."

He nudged her again. "Try."

She took a deep breath and began. "I was...in the Repository. Silver bloods...th-they came and, _ambushed _us, all the Blue Bloods." Her eyes turned up to his, horror written across them. "Oh, Jack. It was horrible. I don't even-- Oh God. I don't even want to talk about it."

She started to shake.

"Hey," Jack whispered back soothingly as he took her into his arms, stroking her hair lightly. "Shh... It was just a dream."

She cried silently into his shirt, and he moved to rest his cheek against hers, still stroking her hair.

Her tears didn't stop until several minutes later, and he pulled back to look at her, his eyes meeting hers.

Another tear escaped and started to make a path down her cheek, and before he even realized what he was doing, his thumb moved to rub it away.

He didn't move his hand back after completing the action, and while he knew he shouldn't, his body overrode his mind, causing him to cradle her cheek in his palm.

The movement felt familiar, yet completely new at the same time.

Neither commented on it, just simply cherished the feeling until the atmosphere around them began to change.

Jack couldn't take his eyes off her face, and she seemed to be having the same problem.

His mind once more went back to the thoughts that had been plaguing him.

Especially the thoughts about his and Schuyler's first kiss.

His face slowly started to lean down to hers, and she brought hers up to his.

Their lips met.

The kiss was sweet and slow, unhurried as they enjoyed the feeling of being so close to one another again.

He inhaled her breath, moving his tongue into her mouth, to which she responded with a breathy sigh.

Then a rumble of thunder sounded, making both of them jump and break away.

Jack's heart kicked into overdrive.

God.

Feelings were assaulting him every which way, and the truth hit him like a freight train.

He was in love with Schuyler Van Alen.

And he couldn't help it.

He freaked, bolting up from her bed. "Ahh... I have to go," he stuttered as he got up and made a run for it, shutting her door behind him and leaving a dazed and confused Schuyler Van Alen in his wake.

Going up the stairs, he went to the third floor, passing his sister's room as he moved swiftly to get to his, glancing briefly at her door but having no desire to check in on her. He simply kept going, reaching his room and shutting the heavy door behind him.

It was only after he'd laid back against his bed ten minutes later that he realized what a jerk he was for leaving Sky without any explanation.

He'd just..._left_.

Freaked out and left.

He let out a swift curse under his breath before moving and sitting up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

Jack couldn't leave her like that.

Even worse, it made him feel hollow to leave her like he had...

So he went back to her bedroom, but as he reached to knock, he stopped dead.

The sound of her crying once again could be heard through the door, and it tore at his heart.

Closing his eyes, Jack turned her doorknob and went back inside.

Her sobs immediately cut off. "Who-- _Jack_?"

He moved across the room to the other side of her bed, crawling under the covers and laying next to her. Schuyler jerked from the weight, and turned to look at him.

"Jack, what are you doing," she asked in a breathless voice.

"Shh. I'm sorry I freaked out earlier. It wasn't your fault, I swear," he whispered back in response.

"Jack... I... What are you doing back here?" Schuyler's thoughts were all over the place.

He'd practically ran out of her room minutes ago like it had caught fire, and now he was back?

Jack saw the question written all over her face as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his chest, and answered with a simple, "You need me tonight, and I can't bother to leave you alone."

"You don't have to do this, Jack. _Really_. I'm fine," she whispered, her voice now muffled because her face was buried into his shirt.

Not that she minded a bit.

Jack's sigh nearly parted her hair. "No, you're _not_. It's okay, Schuyler," he soothed, whispering in her ear. His chin came to rest on top of her head.

She eagerly curled into him, seeking comfort as he soothed her. After long minutes her breathing became calmer. "Jack?"

"What," he asked softly into her hair, recognizing that she was growing sleepy.

"Thank you for being here."

Jack let out a soft chuckle. "No problem, _Dimidium Cognatus_," he whispered back affectionately, using her technical name of _'half-blood'._

She barely heard him as she burrowed farther into his chest and fell asleep, resting peacefully in Jack's arms.

He lay there content, when he shouldn't have been.

It was wrong for him to even be within five feet of her, let alone in his arms while she slept.

If Mimi found out, she would throw a huge fit, and his father would give him a stern talking to about his place in society. Even stricture rules would probably be placed on him as well when Sky was anywhere near his vicinity, but he couldn't seem to make himself care about any of that.

Not now, when the feel of Schuyler in his arms felt so _right._ Like he felt as if he was _meant _to be there.

A yawn escaped him as he relaxed into the warm comfort of Sky and her bed, keeping his arms secure around her.

His eyes went to her window, where the rain was finally starting to clear up. He had a feeling that by sunrise the skies would be clear again.

And it was there in that moment that Jack Force fell into a blissful sleep, knowing that Schuyler Van Alen was safe and protected in his arms.

* * *

**So as I said before, there's no real meaning in this, other than that I just wanted to write a oneshot of Jack and Sky because I LOve them together.**

**How was it?? I appreciate reviews, which are LOve!! **

**BlackjackandSky**


End file.
